How to get there: a 10-minute walk from Hotel Appartements Riemergasse,

or take a 10-minute ride on tram No. 1 or 2 to the opera house   

History of the Building
The foundations upon which the Albertina stands are Roman. The exhibition halls and the underground storage rooms as well as the study building rest atop 130 graves from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. After the first Turkish siege in 1529, the city walls were raised and widened.

The ground where the Albertina stands is twelve metres higher than the level of the city itself. This is the only remaining section after the city walls were demolished by order of Emperor Franz Josef in 1857/58. In the second half of the 17th century, Maria Theresia had granted permission to Court Building Surveyor Emanuel Teles Graf Silva-Tarouca to upgrade his offices into a palace.

At the beginning of the 19th century, art was already being brought into the palace by Duke Albrecht. The palace served as a residence and home to an art collection for him and his heirs until the end of the monarchy in 1918. Josef Kornhäusel subsequently redesigned its rooms, which today are regarded as some of the most valuable examples of classic architecture and decorative art in all of Austria.

 
The Albertina was not spared from the hail of bombs of World War II. During the last great bombing raid on March 12, 1945 the Albertina was heavily damaged. The last comprehensive renovations to the palace, which lasted for almost 10 years, brought the building back to its original form. The Albertina became one of the world’s most important exhibition venues. The effective floor space of the Albertina, this biggest of the Habsburg residential palaces, amounts to 20,000 square metres.

The Habsburg Staterooms
The Habsburg Staterooms were designed to stand parallel to the Burggarten, constructed from 1801-1805 by the founder of the Albertina, Duke Albert von Sachsen-Teschen. In 1822, Archduke Carl inherited the palace and reconceived it in his own fashion. The staterooms were subdivided into the central museum hall and two flanking apartments. The beautiful viewing terrace, reached through the Audience Room, afforded unique views of the Burggarten, then the private garden of the imperial family. Today the Burggarten serves as a popular recreation area for young and old.

Due to the confiscation of Habsburg possessions in 1919 many of the Albertina’s furnishings were lost. But after renovations in 2001, as part of the grand reopening, some of the original objects did, indeed, find their way back into the Albertina. Today you can peruse exhibits by a broad variety of artists displayed on 4 exhibition levels, remaining on display at the Albertina for a 2-3 month time period. The staterooms are also open to the public